


A Thief and a Liar

by ClockworkDragon, gluupor



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AFTG BigBang 2018, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Ocean's Eleven AU, implied/referenced past rape/non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-28 19:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15713625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkDragon/pseuds/ClockworkDragon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/gluupor/pseuds/gluupor
Summary: After two years in prison for a crime he absolutely did commit, Andrew has his next heist all planned out. All he needs is a team of thieves as talented as he is.An Ocean’s Eleven AU where the Foxes like to steal things, Riko owns several casinos, and Andrew has a score to settle.





	A Thief and a Liar

**Author's Note:**

> This is my piece for the AFTG BigBang. I've been waiting forever to post it and I'm really excited to share it with you. I would like to thank my fantastic artist ClockworkDragon for the two gorgeous pieces of art she drew. Praise her! I would also like to thank my beta, @notrobyn, and @defractum for organizing the AFTG BigBang.

The prison gate clangs shut behind him as Andrew breathes free air for the first time in two years. Sure, he'd been outside during his imprisonment but there is something sweeter about the smell of the air now that he's a free man, even if he is in New Jersey.

He scans the parking lot, looking for a familiar lithe figure before he realizes what he's doing and scoffs at himself. He'd purposefully not told Neil that he was up for early parole; apparently his subconscious expected that Neil would somehow know anyway and be here.

No matter. Andrew will just have to go to him instead. He doesn't like to admit that he needs anyone, but he gave up the ghost of pretending that Neil means nothing to him long ago.

Besides, he's promised to keep both Neil and Kevin safe from Riko Moriyama, and Andrew Minyard keeps his promises.

* * *

Andrew had never planned on becoming a thief. Thanks to the abusive assholes who passed for foster parents, his sense of right and wrong had been permanently skewed, so he was always destined to become a criminal. However, until he'd discovered the small thrill of success that accompanied taking something that the universe wouldn't give him, he had been headed towards becoming a low-level gang thug or, more likely, a dead body.

His thievery had started young. Stealing small amounts of food or money to buy food was necessary when he was often punished by having his meals withheld. He learned very quickly that while small thefts were worth the risk, they could also be disastrous if he were caught - so he ensured that he was never caught. By the time he was nine he had practiced his sleight-of-hand enough that he could lift someone's wallet without conscious thought.

He drifted along like this until he was twelve and he went to live with the Spears. Cass Spear was his first taste of what a mother could be, the first foster parent who provided what he usually had to steal. Unfortunately, her son was also a thief, taking from Andrew which he would never have given freely. Andrew tried to hold onto Cass so tightly that blood dripped down his arms; he tried to outlast her son's unnatural proclivities in order to keep her. Then Aaron had come into his life and attracted too much of Drake's attention and Andrew'd had to get away.

He set fire to his life with the Spears both metaphorically and literally. He'd been sentenced to three years in juvie for arson.

Afterwards, his uncle convinced his birth mother to take him in so he moved across the country to live with his twin. His twin who he had more in common with than he had originally suspected.

The second week that Andrew had been living in Columbia, Aaron attended some sort of gathering that happened in a classmate's garage. Andrew had suspected that the meeting had something to do with drugs - he'd noticed his brother and mother's addictions - so was surprised when it was something immensely more interesting.

"You brought your clone?" an older boy asked; Andrew recognized him as their cousin Nicky from when he'd met his aunt and uncle.

"He follows me everywhere," complained Aaron. "Like a grumpy shadow."

"Still, you couldn't have left him at home for this?" asked a greasy looking kid who Andrew didn't know.

Aaron shrugged. "He's a juvenile offender. He's not going to turn us in."

"He's an amateur," said Nicky haughtily. "I've been setting fire to things for years and I've never been caught."

Andrew was annoyed enough at Nicky's words that he brushed against him on his way to take a seat. His skin crawled whenever he had to make contact with strangers, but he was making a point.

"Maybe I wanted to be caught," he said as he sat.

"He speaks!" said Nicky. "Why would you want to be caught?"

"Juvie has three guaranteed hot meals a day." Andrew figured that this bluntness would render speechless those people in the room who had never gone hungry. He was not disappointed: the others avoided meeting his eyes and fidgeted, until one of them coughed and changed the subject.

As he listened to these people discuss plans, Andrew wondered whether being a criminal was a genetic trait. Both Nicky and Aaron seemed as blasé about stealing as he was, albeit in slightly less hands-on ways. Nicky's specialty was arson and explosives, while Aaron was apparently some kind of computer genius. Andrew could see several places where the group's plans could be improved, but he held his tongue until the pizza arrived.

"Nicky," said one of the boys whose name Andrew hadn't bothered to learn. "Give me a tenner."

Nicky patted his pockets and wrinkled his brow in confusion. Andrew watched as he became increasingly distressed before he nonchalantly held up the wallet that he had lifted off of Nicky earlier.

"Wha…?" said Nicky. "How did you get that? I'm almost one hundred percent sure that it was in my back pocket!"

"I am not an amateur," said Andrew.

Looking back, Andrew shudders when he thinks about the risks they took as arrogant teenagers who thought they were invincible. None of them were particularly keen on living: Andrew didn't cut himself anymore, but that didn't mean he wasn't self-destructive and keen on collateral damage; Aaron had always dealt with his mother's abuse by burying himself in drugs and cybercrime; Nicky had firmly nailed himself in the closet for his parents' sake and coped by blowing things up. Together they were a force to be reckoned with.

The first hurdle was Tilda, the twins' mother. Andrew was all for killing her to save Aaron from her abuse. Nicky offered to rig her car to explode, but Aaron wouldn't agree. Instead, he'd hacked a couple servers to falsify some data and she'd been arrested for tax evasion and fraud. Even Andrew could admire the simplicity of it. Nicky became the twins' legal guardian, Andrew forced Aaron through detox, and the three of them had spent the twins' remaining years of high school making a living through crime.

It had been carelessness, really, that had been their downfall. They hadn't properly vetted the guys they had joined up with for a job. Once they'd successfully absconded with a truckload of electronics, their temporary partners had decided that they didn't want to split the spoils seven ways. Nicky had ended up beaten within an inch of his life; Andrew had ended up arrested for meting out extreme violence to their four attackers; and Aaron had had to abandon them to the cops to make sure that they weren't caught with stolen goods.

Andrew had struck a bargain to avoid returning to jail: he was forcibly prescribed mood-altering anti-psychotic drugs that left him constantly high and with a nonexistent attention span. He was literally incapable of planning heists, Nicky was running scared, and Aaron was reconsidering their lifestyle. That was when Wymack found them.

Andrew knows now that Wymack would have kept an eye on their juvenile operations through the loose network of thieves and con-men that runs throughout the country before he approached them. Drugged, teenaged Andrew hadn't reacted well to his overtures. Wymack had explained that he was a _professional_ thief – nothing against their amateur attempts, but he was the real deal - and was looking to recruit; Andrew had sent him away none too pleasantly. Wymack eventually wore him down though, with promises of safety for Nicky and Aaron, and a way around his own court mandated medicated state.

In later years, Andrew had come to understand that Wymack had basically been recruiting friends for Kevin and that, because of their diverse talents, his family had been chosen. It didn't matter. Wymack, along with his accomplices Abby and Betsy, had taught them everything they knew about cons and crime. Kevin had complemented Andrew's family well, and, once they'd found Neil, they'd become almost unstoppable.

Riko Moriyama had tried. And now he was going to learn how foolish that had been.

* * *

When Andrew tracks Neil down, he's running a con, because of course he is. Neil tends to get twitchy when staying in one place for any length of time but fleecing people out of their hard earned money usually settles him a little.

After being released, Andrew spent enough time in Jersey to buy a burner phone and a pack of cigarettes. He had called his parole officer and lied through his teeth about not leaving the state as he boarded a train to New York.

Riko would have loved to abscond with Kevin and Neil while Andrew was incarcerated and unable to run interference, so the two of them have been city-hopping for a couple years. They couldn't even come visit him in case they were followed. Luckily, Andrew had phone privileges which allowed Neil to call him once a week. Otherwise, even he wouldn't have been able to find them easily.

He finds Neil in a tourist-heavy area running a game of Three Card Monte, his bread and butter. Neil had probably been doing card tricks in the womb. Andrew stands out of his line of sight and watches for a bit, drawn in by Neil's skill as he always is. Everything about his appearance is calculated to draw in the most number of people. His hair is dyed a dark brown, making him look a little pale in comparison, and it's in need of a trim. His clothes are about a size too big, worn thin and not quite warm enough for the weather. He's wearing his brown contacts - no matter how hard he tries to hide it, it's impossible not to notice the bright intelligence that shines through his natural icy blues - which make him look vulnerable and innocent; almost bovine. He looks like what he once was: a down-on-his-luck young man who is either homeless or close to it.

It's an effective look. Some people see him and want to save him - his height, coupled with his slight build, has always made people want to mother him - others see someone who can be exploited. The woman who is playing the game is one of the former; Neil lets her win but she presses some cash on him anyway and he gives her a heartbreakingly fragile smile. This manipulation has always been his superpower. Like Andrew he has deft fingers that can steal almost anything, but Andrew has never shared Neil's talent at conning. Andrew spent his teenage years trying to grow spikes on his skin, to make himself bladed all over so that anyone who tried to touch him would cut themselves. He's never been able to soften himself, to smile and be charming, to make people want to hand over their money willingly. Andrew is a wall, something unyielding for others to break themselves against. Neil molds himself into whatever people want, ever changing like the wind. Andrew finds it fascinating; they've known each other for over a decade and Neil's still able to hold his interest. He knows Neil better than anyone and he's still capable of surprising him.

He could watch Neil con people for hours - he has, in the past - but right now he wants to grab him and squirrel him away to whatever roach-infested shithole Neil has deemed appropriate for habitation. He wants to get him out of his ratty clothes and touch his skin. It's not even about sex (although after two years in prison he hopes there will be sex), it often isn't for them, what with Andrew's lingering trauma making him a minefield and Neil's demisexuality providing an irregular sex drive, but about closeness and intimacy. Andrew's photographic memory has proven useful in his line of work - counting cards and planning heists come easily to him - and it has served him well by providing incredibly detailed fantasies for the past two years. However, right now he's feeling a little detached and needs his hands on Neil to prove that he isn't in an incredibly detailed dream. He hasn't seen Neil in person since before his arrest, when they had both been covered in Drake's still-cooling blood.

Andrew approaches the flimsy table where Neil has set up. He notices the exact moment that Neil clocks him: slight tension enters his frame. Andrew deliberates about what he's going to do. He could act as Neil's shill but then they'd be here for a while; he could be an asshole and accuse Neil of cheating; he could put some money down and beat Neil at his own game. As he thinks, a new mark shows up at the table. He's obviously the second type of person Neil attracts: the kind that can look at him shivering in his too-big clothes and think, _I can beat him easily_. Neil will have to been careful once he's won; this type of mark can turn angry and violent, although they were often too embarrassed at being beaten by someone they considered inferior.

Neil deals but doesn't perform any sleight-of-hand. Andrew has seen him do this countless times, but he's still never been able to catch Neil's quick fingers. Still, Andrew can tell when he's done it; something in the way he holds himself makes it obvious to him. The mark wins and Neil suggests double or nothing. He throws the queen this time and is about to win when Andrew speaks up.

"Not that one," he says to the man who is in the process of putting his money on the centre card. "The one on the right."

Neil looks up at him for the first time since he noticed Andrew's presence. His eyes are bright, amused, happy to see him. Andrew knows that no one else there can read that out of his expression. His chest throbs right under the breastbone, the exact place where he feels pain whenever the toll of missing Neil becomes too much.

"This isn't a team game," says the man irritably.

Andrew looks at him levelly. "Suit yourself," he says. "It's not my money you're losing."

The man frowns, but he bets on the card on the right. It's the queen. The man regards him with frank appraisal. "Think you can do that again?" he asks.

Andrew shrugs, which the man apparently takes as an affirmative, as he gestures for Neil to deal. Neil shuffles the cards again, his eyes on Andrew the whole time. Andrew doesn't correct the bet this time and, once Neil collects his money, the man swears and huffs away.

Andrew feels more settled already. This is right, this is home. This is his past, present, and future: working together with Neil to con people out of their money.

* * *

After they reunite thoroughly, they shower and retreat to bed. Neil lounges, sated and languid, on top of the covers. Andrew has never been comfortable completely naked, so he pulls on a pair of sweatpants. Neil watches him. His gaze is not covetous; he seems admiring of Andrew's new muscle definition on his chest, shoulders, and arms (he did spent quite a bit of time building muscle in prison), but his eyes spend the most time studying Andrew's face. Andrew studies him in turn, his many scars familiar. He reaches out to trace his hand along the old iron burn on Neil's chest and Neil catches his hand. He runs his hand up the scars on Andrew's forearm, counting them and looking for any new marks. Andrew's depression has been well managed by medication for many years now but he supposes that Neil would worry anyway. He understands: he's already spent a fair amount of time examining Neil for any new marks or injuries that he had neglected to mention. The burn scars on Neil's hands are rough against the sensitive skin of Andrew's forearms. Neil had been fortunate to escape marks to his face when he'd gotten those; luckily his uncle had saved him from his father's sadistic tortures before he could do much but mark up Neil's hands. Neil's ability to con people is necessary for his peace of mind; a memorable, scarred face would be incredibly detrimental.

Andrew looks around the room. "This place is nicer than I was expecting," he comments. Neil tends to stay in the cheapest apartments available; this place is moderately nice.

"Yeah, well, Kevin's a whiny princess," says Neil.

Andrew hums. "Where is Kevin, anyway?" Now that he thinks about it he's fairly surprised that Kevin hasn't interrupted them, seeking attention.

"I sent him away," says Neil flippantly. "There's a bartender he's been fucking; I told him to stay with her."

"You sent Kevin to a bar?" asks Andrew with a raised eyebrow.

Neil rolls his eyes. "Yes, Andrew, I really want him to fall off the wagon after I've kept him sober despite his anxiety over Riko for the past two years," he says, sarcasm bleeding from his words. "He went to her apartment. They met at the gym, and she knows he's a recovering alcoholic." He pokes Andrew's bicep. "I'm not about the ruin my hard work _now_ , right before we start a big job."

"What makes you think we're about to start a big job?"

Neil snorts inelegantly. "You expect me to believe that you're _not_ going to go after Riko? You warned him what would happen."

Neil's words send warmth washing over Andrew - he feels known and understood. "We'll talk about it in the morning," he says.

Neil gets up to put pyjamas on to sleep in. "Kevin's definitely going to come barging in before we're ready to get up," he says and flips off the lights.

He climbs back in bed, and settles on his side with his back facing Andrew. They usually sleep that way - Andrew likes holding on to Neil, to know where he is and to feel him under his hands - but that's not what he wants right now. "No," he says. "Roll over."

Neil complies easily and spoons up behind Andrew.

"Missed you," Neil mutters into the back of his neck. Andrew squeezes the hand that Neil's placed on his chest in response. Now that he knows Neil has his back, he lets himself relax fully for the first time in over two years.

* * *

Andrew can't buy a plane ticket without his parole officer finding out, so they are driving to Las Vegas. He can't say that he's disappointed about missing the plane, but he's also aware that several days in the car with Kevin and Neil will try his impressive patience. They're not even headed directly to Vegas: they're taking a detour to see his family. Both Nicky and Aaron moved back to South Carolina following Andrew's arrest.

The drive to Columbia will take about nine hours and Andrew wants to leave before traffic gets too bad, so they're on the road by 5 am. Getting Kevin up and into the car had been a nightmare, but Andrew hopes that he'll doze as soon as the car's in motion. Instead he starts taking out his grumpiness on Andrew and Neil, incessantly complaining that Neil is sitting shotgun. Andrew is driving (Neil's provided the car: it's a beat up, grey Honda Civic, the most ordinary and common car in existence) and he would never admit it, even upon pain of death, but he's not too bothered by Kevin's whining. He kind of missed being subjected to Kevin's terrible coping mechanisms.

Neil, predictably, loses patience first. They've been on the road for about forty-five minutes and Kevin has asked at least three times why Neil gets to sit in the front. He's just finished asking again when Neil snaps.

"It's because I suck his dick, Kevin," he says in exasperation. "Are _you_ willing to suck his dick?"

"I could suck his dick," says Kevin sullenly. Neil turns around in his seat to give him an incredulous look.

"I will stab you in the throat if you try," Andrew tells him.

"Fine," says Kevin petulantly. "Play favourites. Even though he doesn't need the leg room."

"Fuck's sake, Kevin, you have the whole back seat to spread out," Neil points out.

"You can't tell me what to do."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not your real dad," says Neil rolling his eyes.

"If you two don't cut it out, I'm going to turn this car around," says Andrew.

Neil snort-laughs and reaches out to place his hand on top of Andrew's on the gearshift, tracing a pattern with his thumb. "Shut up and go to sleep, Kevin. We'll stop in a couple hours for breakfast."

* * *

They reach Columbia by mid-afternoon. Kevin and Neil both catch some shuteye during the drive, but Andrew retreats to his old room in Nicky's house for a short nap. He's awakened by Nicky's happy shrieking echoing through the house, although it cuts off quickly. Andrew would bet that Neil levelled a fairly intimidating threat to stop Nicky from disturbing Andrew.

Andrew shakes off his grogginess and pads down the stairs.

"It's going to be so nice to work with proper criminals again," Nicky is sighing. "I tried to pull a job last year, but I couldn't even find someone capable of bypassing security cameras! All my lovely C-4 ended up going to waste."

"What about Aaron?" Andrew asks in a sleep-rough voice.

Nicky whirls around, his face lighting up in a smile. "Andrew!" he cries in greeting. "You're out of prison!"

"Evidently," replies Andrew.

"Anyway, didn't you hear? Aaron retired," says Nicky.

"If you didn't tell me, where was I supposed to have heard it from?" wonders Andrew.

"Don't look at me," says Neil. "I knew that he was working as a coder now, but I assumed he was just waiting for Andrew like we were."

"Nah," says Nicky. "He's gone all soft and goopy-eyed over his girlfriend."

"The cheerleader?" asks Andrew, squinting, trying to remember if he knows Aaron's current girlfriend.

"She's a doctor," says Nicky. "Katelyn something-or-other."

"Well, good for him," says Neil. "What kind of food do you have around here?"

Aaron shows up not long after that. Neil, Nicky, and Kevin are all in the backyard attempting to barbecue burgers while Andrew watches them through the glass patio doors. Kevin is giving Neil directions on how to light the barbecue, while Neil sprays too much lighter fluid everywhere, likely to spite Kevin. Andrew hears Aaron enter but doesn't react until he stands next to him.

"Andrew," says Aaron.

"Aaron," says Andrew.

"Early parole?"

"Clearly."

"You could have escaped."

"I didn't."

There's a couple minutes of silence. "You're going after Riko." It's not a question.

"You're retired." Neither is that.

"Fuck that," says Aaron, suddenly vehement. "That bastard sent a fucking pedophile rapist after us, after _you_. If you're taking him down, I'm going with you. I'm the best there is."

"Alright," says Andrew placidly.

They watch Kevin wrestle the lighter fluid away from Neil.

"After that, I'm done, though," continues Aaron. "Katelyn wants to settle down; get married, have babies."

"Congratulations."

There's a pregnant pause. "How was prison?"

Andrew knows that Aaron expects him to be flippant or to ignore the question. He watches Neil and Kevin bicker. "Quiet," he replies honestly. "Lonely."

Aaron nods and looks out the doors. Nicky is now tossing lit matches towards the barbecue as Kevin chases him to try to get him to stop. Neil is egging Nicky on.

"Yeah, I kinda missed them," admits Aaron quietly. Andrew raises an eyebrow. "What?" asks Aaron defensively. "They're my family, too."

"You didn't just spend nine hours listening to them bicker in the car," says Andrew.

"On the bright side, they'll probably incinerate themselves while trying to make dinner and then your trip to Vegas will be quieter."

* * *

The drive to Vegas isn't necessarily _quieter_ but there is much less petty squabbling. Andrew had outlined the bare bones of the plan for Aaron and Nicky; Aaron, in turn, had found confidential blueprints and information about Riko's casinos. Kevin, ever the planner, snatched them like a rabid animal and is now making pages and pages of notes in the backseat with Neil offering suggestions as Kevin mutters out loud.

This is how they work. Kevin is a details man; he studies every aspect of the job and makes exhaustive lists, trying to account for every eventuality. Neil is more instinctive, he's much better at thinking on the fly and making snap decisions. He's also better at coming up with more unconventional methods that escape Kevin. Andrew supports them. He identifies the flaws in their plans, finding the mistakes and plugging them up. They are always at their best when the three of them are working together.

"We're going to need to pull more people in," Kevin says on the second day of their journey. "It's too much for the five of us."

"Six," corrects Andrew. "Wymack's in."

"Only as financial backing," says Kevin. "We're going to need - I don't know, four? Six? - more people who aren't known to Riko. I'm willing to bet that the three of us are flagged in his security system, which means Aaron can't walk around freely either. We'll need people who can enter his casinos without alerting security and who have the skills we lack."

"Like a greaseman," says Neil.

"What's wrong with Shields?" asks Andrew, referring to their usual greaseman.

Neil shrugs. "She may do it, but she's been out of the game for a while. She found religion, changed her name. Goes by Renee Walker now."

"What's she doing?" asks Andrew.

"Last I heard she joined Cirque du Soleil," says Kevin. "So at least she's already in Vegas."

"I'll talk to her," says Andrew. "We've always had an understanding. And if she doesn't want to do it, then I'm sure one of the other acrobats in the show is interested in making millions of dollars."

Kevin makes a mark on a list. "Okay, I'll put Walker down as a maybe. We'll also need a big, honking drama queen, a couple drivers, maybe a mechanic?"

"Lakes for the drama queen?" suggests Andrew.

"Nah," says Neil. "She got married and popped out a couple kids. I think she and her husband are only involved in white collar crime now." He thinks for a couple minutes. "Reynolds would do it."

"Thought she was trying to make it in Hollywood?" asks Kevin.

"Yeah, and so far she's been arm candy at public events for a number of rich, old men and starred on various procedurals as Murdered Prostitute #2," counters Neil. "There's no way she's not bored."

"I'll ask her," mutters Kevin, before sighing deeply. "I wish Knox was still in the country."

"Of course you wish that. You have giant crush on him," says Neil jokingly. "He moved to Australia," he explains to Andrew. "I think Kevin almost cried when we heard."

"To teach _surfing_ ," says Kevin with disgust. "If he wanted to do something so pedestrian, why couldn't he do it in California?"

"What about Dermott, then?" says Andrew. "Her skill set is similar to Knox's."

Neil shakes his head. "Also out of the country. She found a Spanish girlfriend and the two of them have been staging art heists across Europe. They were responsible for that break-in at the Louvre last year."

Andrew raises an eyebrow, impressed. "Nice."

"We should contact the Wildses," says Kevin.

"The Wildses," echoes Andrew. "Boyd took her name when they got married, then?"

"Yup," says Neil. "And then they settled somewhere strange. Utah? Utah. I'm not quite sure why they wanted to be surrounded by white Mormons." He shudders. "They must stick out like sore thumbs."

"Salt flats," guesses Andrew. "You know how Wilds enjoys stunt driving."

"I'll talk to them," says Neil. "Matt has a friend-crush on me, he'll agree."

"It's not like his crush is unrequited," says Andrew.

"That's four," says Kevin. "Do you think we need one more? I think we need one more. We should find one more."

Andrew searches his brain. "Gordon?" he suggests. He hates the man, but he's good at what he does and Reynolds can usually control him.

"Dead," says Neil.

"On the job?" asks Andrew

"Drug overdose," answers Neil. "A couple months after your arrest."

"Idiot," mutters Andrew. "Who else do we know? Muldani?" He's a little surprised that her name hasn't been brought up yet, or he is until Neil winces. "What? Is she dead, too?"

"No," says Neil testily. "She was a little upset that Kevin disappeared without a trace when they were 'technically in a relationship'." He even manages to make his air quotes sarcastic.

"When did he finally contact her?"

"About three months ago," replies Neil. "When we needed something from her."

Now Andrew is the one wincing. Thea Muldani is an incredibly intimidating woman. He can imagine how she reacted when Kevin left without any warning and didn't contact her for almost two years, only to surface because he wanted something from her. He's lucky he still has his balls. At least, Andrew assumes he does. Nobody's said he doesn't and Andrew's not about to check.

"I don't know why you're still annoyed," says Kevin to Neil from the backseat. "The fallout was aimed at me, not you."

"You broke my laptop."

" _I_ didn't break your laptop," argues Kevin.

"I lent it to you in one piece, it came back in three," says Neil.

"Thea's strong. And there was a wall. She was angry."

"At _you_ ," says Neil snippily. "Cause you couldn't send a quick text that said, 'Sorry, babe. I've got to skip town for a while. XOXO, love you.'"

Kevin shudders. "If I sent her a text that said _that_ it would have been way, way worse."

"If you ever send me a text that's even remotely similar to that I'm going to track you down just to kill you," warns Andrew.

"That's fair," says Neil.

"So," says Andrew. "No Muldani, then?"

"Not unless it's absolutely necessary," says Kevin. "Although, I'm coming up blank on who else we could use."

"I've got my eye on someone up in Seattle," says Neil. "I'll see if she's interested."

"Anyone I know?" asks Andrew.

"Nope," says Neil. "Newbie." Andrew's nose wrinkles.

"I know," agrees Neil. "But she has both pedigree and potential."

* * *

Robin does a quick survey of the light rail car. She's felt eyes on her all afternoon, but she's beginning to think that it's just paranoia, a common side effect of her chosen lifestyle. There's a man in a suit and a trench coat; she's going to get his wallet before he leaves. There's an older woman with a cart, a young pregnant woman with a toddler, a teenager with a skateboard and red-rimmed eyes, a drunk man who is mumbling to himself, three students that are absorbed in their phones, and an elderly woman with a walker. She bops her head along with the music that's flowing through her headphones and lets herself fall against the businessman as the train lurches a little. Just like that she's up one wallet.

She puts herself near the back of the train and tries to watch everyone without looking like she's watching anyone. The skateboarder gets up to leave and stumbles a little, losing his balance. She wrinkles her nose at the skunky smell of his clothing. The passengers change at the stop and she catalogues them all again.

At the next stop, she gets off the train. Hefting her backpack off the floor, she frowns in confusion when it is lighter than expected. Once she's in the station she stops and takes stock. Her laptop is missing. The wallet she stole is gone, too. Instead, there's a plain, ordinary business card for a local pub. She doesn't really want to walk into an obvious trap, but there's nothing for it. She needs her laptop back.

The pub is nearly empty when she arrives, unsurprising since it's the middle of the day. There's a single person sitting at a table, her laptop in front of him. It's the skateboarding teenager. He looks up at her approach and she feels a chill go down her spine. Close up, he is clearly much older than she had thought, his eyes a clear, intelligent ice blue, even though she's pretty sure they were brown before. He's giving her an assessing gaze and she feels stripped and laid bare. She does a double take in disbelief; she's extremely good at observation but she hadn't registered him as a threat until right this very second when he obviously wanted her to. She doesn't want to admit it, but she thinks he may be better than she is.

"Who are you?" she demands, bravado coming to the fore.

"My name is Josten," he says calmly, and she sucks in a breath. Anybody who is anybody in their world knows the name Josten - and that Josten, Day, and Minyard are a force to be reckoned with.

He smirks at her. "You've heard of me." It's not a question.

She answers anyway. "Yes."

"Good, that should speed things up," he says smugly. "I'm recruiting and Waterhouse told Wymack good things about you."

"Yeah, well, fathers are generally proud of their offspring."

He smiles without humour. "Not in my experience."

Her heart stops for a beat and she wonders if she's completely fucked it up already, but he doesn't seem tense.

"I watched you today," he says and she starts. She had felt the eyes on her, but she hadn't even clocked him until she was on the train and even then she'd assessed him incorrectly. "You're decent." She scoffs and he looks amused. "Take a compliment, kid. You have some obvious tells and some of your work is sloppy, but I think you'll do just fine."

"Just fine for what?" she asks.

He slides a plane ticket across the table. She flips it over to examine it. "Vegas?" she reads. "What's in Vegas?"

"Fly out and see," he says, and when she looks up he's gone. Her laptop and the wallet are still there, but there's no trace of the man. She feels a deep stab of want. _That's_ what she's always desired, ever since she understood what her father used to do for a living.

Neil Josten is the biggest mysterious asshole that she's ever met and she wants to be just like him.

* * *

Andrew is surprised when he finds that he enjoys the Cirque du Soleil performance. He wouldn't have guessed that it would be something he likes, but he ends up finding it relaxing. There are at least four acrobats that could do the work they need, but there's only one he wants.

He's waiting for her in her dressing room after the show. He can tell that she's aware of his presence as soon as she enters, tense and alert. She relaxes immediately when she sees that it's him and she smiles happily.

"Andrew," she says and comes forward to greet him. She grasps him by his shoulders and squeezes. He raises his hands to circle her wrists and squeeze back. "How long have you been out?" she asks.

"Since my early twenties," he deadpans.

She chuckles and shakes her head. "From prison?" she clarifies.

"Just over a week."

"And you've already come to see me," she says, sounding fond. "I'm honoured."

"I was in town," he replies. "I have some unfinished business here."

Her eyes dim for a second. "Yes," she agrees. "I know."

"Renee," he says, tasting her new name on his tongue. "It's a little on-the-nose, with the whole rebirth theme, but I like it. It suits you."

"Thank you," she says demurely. "I'm guessing you've also heard that I'm retired. I'm trying to be a good person."

"Thieves aren't necessarily bad people," he argues. "Look at Robin Hood."

She laughs. "Is that who you are?"

"No," Andrew answers, suddenly serious. "I'm much more dangerous than that."

"You want my help."

"Yes."

"Convince me," Renee says.

"It's a lot of money," Andrew says.

"You know I don't care about that."

"I know," he agrees. "The robbery is just a distraction."

"I thought it might be," she says thoughtfully. "What else are you stealing from him?"

"Everything," says Andrew gravely. "He's a danger to Neil, to Kevin, to Aaron. I am taking _everything_ from him."

"That sounds like a conflict," says Renee. "You're planning on stealing two things. What happens if you can only have one? Which will you choose?"

"If everything goes to plan, I won't have to choose."

"But hypothetically."

"That's easy," replies Andrew, sitting back in his chair. "I will always pick my family's safety over anything else."

Renee smiles softly. "I will never understand why people call you a monster."

"Renee," says Andrew, leaning forward again and giving her a piercing stare. "Do you want to help me destroy an evil man and steal millions of dollars from him?"

This time her smile is sharp. "Yes," she says. "Yes I do."

* * *

Andrew's annoyed that Kevin's made him come on this errand, but he's not surprised. Neil's out of town - he's gone to recruit Robin Cross and talk to Matt and Dan - and Kevin never goes anywhere alone. They're both hiding in the shadows of a parking garage. Andrew's shivering; they may be in Vegas but it gets cold at night, especially in the winter. Finally the man they are waiting for approaches his vehicle.

"Jean," says Kevin, his voice almost breaking.

Jean Moreau stops, but is smart enough not to turn. He stands, staring into his car's window.

"There are cameras everywhere," he mutters. "Get out of Vegas, you fool."

"No," says Kevin harshly. "I'm not leaving without you, not again."

Jean shudders a little. "I'd rather stay with him than risk you also getting caught."

"I'm here to get you away from him."

"You know I can't leave," says Jean in resignation.

"You can," says Kevin insistently.

"Not while my contract exists," says Jean.

"Can you get ahold of your contract?" asks Kevin, because if Jean can't then they're going to have to go back to the drawing board.

Jean scoffs. "I may not have had a lot of opportunities to use them the last couple years, but my skills have not atrophied. I would have had it years ago, but there's _always someone watching_."

"There will be a distraction," says Kevin. "Grab everything from the safe and meet us at the old place."

"What kind of distraction?"

"You'll know it when it happens," says Kevin.

A sound echoes through the parking garage and Jean stiffens. "Get out of here," he says.

"Be ready," says Kevin, drawing back.

"Be safe," replies Jean, opening his car door and sliding easily into the passenger seat.

* * *

It was the Incan matrimonial head-masks that started their problems. Andrew prefers to steal cash; sure, you had to launder it, but it was already cash. Easy to hide, easy to trade. Art and artifacts were harder - those required replicas and fences to turn them into cash. He should have known better than to get hooked by the boatloads of money that could be made from stealing rare artifacts.

They'd made a fair bit of money from similar thefts, using Jean as their fence. Jean was also a career criminal, learning the trade from his parents, like Neil and Kevin. Andrew still wasn't sure what attracted Riko's attention to their theft of the head-masks. Maybe it was simply the congregation of Neil, Kevin, and Jean: all three of them sons of people who had wronged the Moriyamas. In any case, Riko had abducted Jean when the rest of them were busy stealing the head-masks and had forced him to sign a contract that more or less made him into Riko's property. Riko had similar contracts ready and waiting for Neil and Kevin.

Kevin had wanted to go save Jean - Andrew was aware that they were fucking, but until then he hadn't known there were any feelings involved - but Andrew had convinced him to wait for a better opportunity. Kevin's own terror of Riko helped with Andrew's arguments.

Firstly, though, they'd had to move the head-masks; it wouldn't do to be in possession of unique stolen property. Somehow, in their haste to fence the masks, they'd walked into a trap. Drake, Andrew's childhood abuser, had been waiting for him and Neil. A brief but vicious fight had left Drake dead, Andrew spattered in his blood, holding both the murder weapon and a bag of stolen Incan matrimonial head-masks in his hands when the police showed up.

He'd pushed Neil out the window and made him promise to take Kevin and run until Andrew was free again – if Neil was also arrested then Riko would have an easy time getting to him.

Andrew's past abuse coupled with his defensive wounds resulted in Drake's death being ruled as self-defense. However, the fact that Andrew was clearly in possession of stolen goods made it easy to prosecute him for theft, which was what landed him in jail.

As long as Riko remains free and living without consequences, as long as he continues to own Jean and to hunt Neil and Kevin, he is a danger. Andrew has no plans to let him remain free and alive.

* * *

Wymack has a large, sprawling ranch-style house in a wealthy neighbourhood of Las Vegas. Andrew's fairly certain that he bought it to keep an eye on Riko while Neil and Kevin were on the run and Andrew was in prison. It's reminiscent of the house that Wymack inhabited in South Carolina when he recruited Andrew's family. In his younger years, Wymack had made quite a lot of money as a successful thief, supported by an extremely talented crew. He'd retired when still quite young in order to enjoy his spoils. Two members of his crew, Abby and Betsy, had decided to remain with him while the rest of his crew had dispersed.

Kevin's mother, Kayleigh Day, had been a member of that crew and after leaving Wymack's crew she had joined a crew run by Tetsuji Moriyama. Tetsuji had once tried to usurp his older brother's place as head of the Moriyama crime family. He should have been killed when he'd been caught, but his brother had banished him instead. Afterwards, he gathered together a reckless group of people; Kayleigh fit right in.

Even after Kevin's birth Kayleigh had continued to take dangerous jobs, and when he'd been six years old she'd died. Kevin had then been more or less raised by Tetsuji. Kevin's childhood had already been filled with crime, but Kayleigh had at least tried to keep him sheltered from the worst of their business. Not so Tetsuji. For the next twelve years he had forced Kevin into helping him with no regard for Kevin's wellbeing. Finally, Tetsuji's past had caught up with him. Before Tetsuji's body had even cooled, Kevin escaped to find his biological father. His mother had left him clues to his father's whereabouts which had led him to Wymack.

Wymack, Abby, and Betsy had taken him in and recruited Andrew's family so that he would have friends. Later, Kevin had found Neil running a con and had convinced Wymack to recruit him as well. Since their early days working together they started every job by congregating at wherever Wymack, Betsy, and Abby were living, and this job was no different.

"Okay," says Abby, ever the quintessential mother, albeit one who is very talented at crime, "I've put out party mix and chips for your guests. Would you prefer Pepsi or Yoohoo to drink?"

Kevin pouts. "This is not an eighth grade birthday party. We could serve alcohol."

Abby pins him with a look. "Pepsi or Yoohoo?"

"Yoohoo," says Kevin sullenly.

"Good choice," approves Andrew.

Neil arrives first, with the Wildses. He had called Andrew a couple days before to say that he wasn't going to fly back to Vegas as he had originally planned, but drive there with Matt and Dan. Andrew wasn't sure how Neil wasn't sick of road trips after their trek across the country, but Neil had just laughed off his concerns.

Andrew gets up to run his hands over Neil, assuring himself that he's fine. It's a leftover habit from the early days of their relationship; from around the time that Neil had gotten himself kidnapped and tortured. Andrew hasn't needed the assurance in years, but their recent prolonged separation made him anxious when Neil had flown out to Seattle.

Neil accepts his attention as natural and leans in to nuzzle Andrew's neck before going over to assure Kevin that everything is well.

"Oooh, Yoohoo!" Matt says happily as he makes his way into the room.

Matt and Dan are as friendly and outgoing as ever and Andrew finds himself retreating a little. Luckily, Aaron and Nicky arrive shortly afterwards: the former provides Andrew with a partner to stand next to in silence and the latter is a talkative newcomer for Matt and Dan to focus their attention on.

Renee and Allison arrive together. Andrew sends Renee a questioning look, which she soundly ignores. They would have had to coordinate beforehand to arrive in the same car, and Renee had given no indication of anything when he'd spoken with her earlier.

Robin Cross arrives last, looking small and overwhelmed. Andrew sends Neil a dubious look but Neil just smiles and shakes his head. Andrew is an incredibly patient man, but he's not the greatest at allowing for weakness or room to improve in others.

"Alright," says Kevin officiously, "you all know why you're here."

"I don't, actually," says Robin. Kevin glares but she gives him a supremely unimpressed look. Andrew is reluctantly intrigued. Kevin's Most Displeased Glower is often intimidating to those who don't know him.

Kevin points at the first slide of the PowerPoint presentation he'd prepared. "Castle Evermore, The Raven's Nest, Edgar Allen Court," he says indicating the three casinos, "three of the biggest Vegas casinos. All run by the youngest member of the Moriyama crime family, all impenetrable fortresses, all flush with cash. We're going to rob them."

"We're going to steal from the mob?" asks Allison. "Seems like a good way to be murdered and left in the desert for vultures."

"By the time we're through, they will have bigger problems to worry about," says Neil enigmatically.

"I figured," says Dan. "How else would you have gotten Renee on board?"

"Anyway," continues Kevin, pretending that he hasn't heard the chatter. "Bad news first. The security system rivals a nuclear silo. This is not going to be simple."

"Really? I thought it would be, since casinos get robbed so often," says Matt rolling his eyes.

"First, we have to get into the casino cages which we are definitely not authorized to do," says Kevin. "Then, through a set of doors, here-" he flips slides and shows blueprints of Castle Evermore "-each of which requires a different six-digit code that is changed every twelve hours. Past those doors lie the elevator, which is where it really gets tricky."

"Where it _gets_ tricky?" says Allison.

"They won't move without fingerprint authorization-"

"Can we fake that?" asks Robin.

"No," says Neil.

"-and vocal confirmation from the security centre within Castle Evermore."

"Can we get that?" asks Dan.

"No," says Neil.

"Additionally, the elevator shaft is rigged with motion detectors," says Kevin.

"Meaning?" asks Matt.

"Meaning if the elevator is manually overridden to move _without_ the appropriate fingerprints and security confirmation, the exit will lock down and we'll be trapped in the elevator," supplies Neil.

"After that, it's easy though," says Kevin. "We only have to get by the most elaborate vault door ever conceived."

"Hmm," says Renee thoughtfully. "I assume you've considered digging into the vault from below?"

"Won't work," says Neil. "There are underground sensors all around the casinos."

"This seems like a lot of effort," says Dan dubiously. "There'd better be a pretty big payout."

"The vault services all three of the casinos I mentioned earlier, even if it is housed in Castle Evermore," says Kevin. "That means that it needs to hold enough cash to cover every chip in all three casinos at any given moment. We're going to rob it on a fight night, which means that there will easily be one hundred and fifty million within the vault. Split eleven ways… you do the math."

Allison whistles, impressed.

Matt, however, appears a little apprehensive. "Okay," he starts, "say we get past the guards, and into the cages, and through the security doors, and down the elevator we can't move, and into the vault we can't open-"

"Without getting seen by the cameras," says Neil.

"Oops," says Kevin. "I forgot to mention that."

"Uh, great," says Matt hesitantly. "Anyway, say we do all that… we're still in the vault. Are we just going to walk out of there with one hundred and fifty million dollars in cash without getting stopped?"

Kevin glances at Andrew, causing everyone else to turn and look at him.

Andrew nods and lights a cigarette. "Yes," he says.

* * *

* * *

 Kevin assigns everyone tasks. Robin gets banished to tail Riko since she is the newest and no one else wants to do it. Aaron is responsible for getting them into the casinos' security system. He needs a physical connection, but there's no way he can go in himself without getting flagged on the security cameras – looking exactly like Andrew has some drawbacks - so he's training Matt on how to splice into the system without anybody noticing. Nicky's getting started on making the explosives they will need while Allison begins working with Wymack to solidify her false identity, practicing her fake Russian accent.

Everyone else is making a replica of the vault. They lug in plywood and sheet metal and tile. Andrew puts his head down and ignores everyone else, only getting involved in order to force Kevin to stop touching the power tools. Nothing good would come of that.

Renee starts practicing as soon as they finish building the replica vault. The floor of the real vault is embedded with lasers, so she will have to climb out of the cash cart that she will be hidden in and flip to the shelves that line the walls, like she's playing a life-or-death game of The Floor is Lava. From there, she can place the explosives on the inside of the vault door.

Once that's taken care of, they get to work: there's a lot for them to do.

* * *

Allison is wearing a purple bandage dress, four-inch stilettos, and probably about a metric ton of costume jewellery, although it would take an actual appraiser to figure out that it was fake; it is very well-made. She taps one long, manicured blood-red nail impatiently on the check-in counter at the hotel attached to the Castle Evermore casino.

The woman behind the counter is polite and professional. "Alright, we have you checked into a suite for the next six days, Miss Rozanova. Was there anything else I can do for you? Someone to carry your bags perhaps?"

" _Nyet_ ," says Allison. She gestures carelessly back to where Aaron and Neil are standing at attention. They have both been heavily disguised with wigs and false noses; Aaron's sporting a black wig and Neil wearing one with very short blond hair. The shapes of their faces have been altered enough with putty that there is almost no possibility that they'll be recognized by the security cameras. Aaron needs to be inside the building to properly access their computer systems; he's not going to be leaving until they finish the job. "I pay my guards good money, yes? Let them work for it."

The receptionist smiles genially, and directs Allison toward the appropriate elevator. The three of them don't speak on the way up to the room; Neil and Aaron acting deferential to Allison's commands. As soon as they're in the room, they split up to check for bugs or other surveillance devices.

As soon as the room is clear, Aaron peels off his false nose. "Itchy, itchy, itchy," he complains, also removing his wig. Neil looks on in envy; unlike Aaron, he's leaving this room and he still has to wear his disguise until he's out of the casino.

Allison and Neil start unpacking their bags, placing the electronic equipment where Aaron directs. Once everything is set up to his specifications, he texts Matt to let him know that he's ready.

Allison disappears into one of the bedrooms and comes out looking even more primped and processed. "I'm off to play some poker," she says. "Wish me luck."

" _Udachi_ ," says Neil, putting a flourish on the Russian.

"Show off," mutters Aaron.

"You're just jealous," says Neil good-naturedly, preparing to leave the suite. "Let us know if you need anything," he adds.

"Some goddamn peace and quiet would be nice. I don't think I've been alone since I got to Vegas."

"Take it while you can, then," says Neil. "Nicky's going to be here this evening."

* * *

Renee is dressed as a delivery person and is carrying a bundle of helium-filled balloons across the floor at The Raven's Nest. She passes behind a bank of slot machines and just as she is underneath the security camera for the area, she is roughly shoved from behind. She lets go of the balloons and turns to face her attacker.

"You bitch, it is you!" cries Dan, shoving her again.

"Whoa!" says Renee. "I think you got the wrong person."

The nearest security guard is the one guarding access to the back rooms. He receives a message from the security guard monitoring the camera feeds about the obstruction and moves towards Renee and Dan. As soon as he is away from his post, Matt, dressed as a maintenance worker, inserts a small device into the security pad which allows Aaron to override the door lock, and heads back into the camera server room.

Meanwhile, Dan is continuing to be belligerent. "Oh, don't pretend you don't recognize me, _Suzanne_ ," she hisses. "I know that you were on the West Arbour Terrapins exy team!"

"What… why are you talking about high school?" asks Renee, bewildered. "What does that have to do with… wait a minute!" The security guard has reached them and politely asks Renee to gather her balloons. She ignores him. "You were a Fox!"

"Orange and proud, baby," retorts Dan.

"You were a bunch of hooligans! You tried to break my ankle in the championships!"

"You cheated!"

"Scoring more than you isn't _cheating_!"

"You should have gotten at least two red cards! The refs were on your side!"

"We played better than you did! It was over a decade ago, let it go!"

"NEVER!"

"LADIES!" shouts the security guard. "I'm going to have to ask you to break it up, or face the consequences." Dan and Renee both look down, shame-faced. "Now, ma'am will you please collect your balloons and be on your way?"

"Yes, of course," says Renee, reaching up to pull the balloons away from the security camera. "You lost because you're the worst," she hisses at Dan, before making a hasty retreat. The security guard has to stop Dan from lunging after her in anger.

Once past the security doors, Matt's uniform and fake security badge prevent anyone from questioning his presence. He easily makes it into and out of the server room without incident, letting Aaron into the system.

* * *

Allison has spent several days playing high-stakes poker when Riko Moriyama finally approaches her. She'd asked the pit boss for an audience with him this morning. She folds and stands as he gets close. With her heels she is almost a full foot taller than him: as soon as this becomes apparent Riko's nose wrinkles in distaste. Allison crosses her arms under her breasts, emphasizing them. Riko takes a perfunctory look, but quickly looks up at her. She wasn't expecting to distract him for long; she suspects that he may be a robot.

"I was told you wished to speak with me, Miss Rozanova?" he says, almost achieving politeness. His arrogance and assumed superiority shine though, although it may be because she knows his true character.

" _Da_ ," she says and steps far enough away to discourage eavesdroppers. "Do you know who I am?" she asks.

"You are Alina Rozanova," he answers, "daughter of Sergei Rozanov, Russian oil tycoon. I know everything that goes on in my hotels." It sounds like a threat, but she's sure that if he had even an inkling of who she is and who she's working with and what they are planning that they would not be having this conversation.

"I am in town to procure some goods," she says in her practiced Russian accent. "And I need somewhere safe to keep them between when I get them and when I leave."

"The house safe is available to all-"

"The house safe is for grandmother's pearls and people who don't know any better," she says dismissively. "I know you can offer more."

He pauses. "Are you involved in something illegal?"

She wants to laugh at him, because what does he care about the law? Instead she just shakes her head swiftly. "No. Not illegal, just valuable."

His gaze turns a little hungry; she doesn't care - this is just a way to get explosives into the vault - but if she were actually trying to protect something all kinds of mental alarm bells would be ringing. "I can offer you the use of our main vault," he says. "You will not be able to accompany your possessions there because of our high level of security, but you will be able to watch their journey on our security cameras."

She tilts her head, considering. "Alright, that is acceptable. I will be procuring the items on Saturday in the afternoon and should be returning with them here in the evening."

His jaw tightens, realizing that this will conflict with his plans that evening, but also knowing how much cash Allison has dropped in the last few days and how much Alina Rozanova and her father are supposedly worth. His casinos can make so much money from their patronage and goodwill. Or, they could if they actually existed.

He nods tightly. "If that will be all?"

"Yes," she says. "You may continue with your daily duties." She spins on her heel and returns to the table. She looks behind to see the flash of anger pass over his face at being dismissed.

* * *

"Why do we have to be in the sewers?" whines Nicky.

Matt stops short and turns to him incredulously. " _You_ said we had to come down here!" he hisses. "You said that this was the only place we could access the electrical grid that wasn't on casino property."

"Yes," says Nicky slowly. "And I'm lamenting that fact."

"At least we're in the dry section," Matt says, trying to be upbeat.

"I don't know," says Nicky thoughtfully. "Trying to deal with electricity in knee deep water might have been fun."

"Life-threatening, you mean."

"That's what I said," grins Nicky. "Fun."

"Something is really wrong with you."

Nicky shrugs. "I blow things up for a living. I crave a little risk."

"I think this job already has enough risk," says Matt.

"If you say so," says Nicky. "Okay we're here." He swings off his backpack and holds it to Matt. "Hold onto that for me while I plant the charges, would you?"

* * *

"Okay, you've got to tell me if this is a Terminator thing," says Robin.

Neil stares at her blankly.

"Like, the movie," she says slowly. "It's really well known. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a robot from-"

"I know what Terminator is," says Neil testily. "I don't see how it applies."

"Well, Riko's an evil robot, right? That's what's going on here?"

"What?"

"I've been following him for a while now, and he does everything at exactly the same time every day! It's not natural, he must be a machine."

"You also see him eat food though, right?"

"Well, I see him go into restaurants. I have no proof that he actually consumes human food. He could be drinking motor oil for all I know."

"I mean, that would help us out a lot if he were," says Neil. "Since it would kill him."

"Anyway, I made a list of his comings and goings like Kevin instructed," says Robin. "They're too regimented to be anything but synthetic."

"So your conclusion wasn't OCD or that he's a controlling asshole but that he's an evil robot from the future?"

"If the shoe fits…"

"Maybe we should have a lesson about Occam's Razor," says Neil thoughtfully.

"I'd rather have that lesson about making yourself likeable but forgettable that you promised you'd give me."

"Oh, that's easy," says Neil dismissively. "You just have to make sure that you never, ever, under any circumstances-"

"Neil," says Andrew curtly from across the room.

"Yeah?" says Neil instantly, orbiting over to where Andrew is leaning against the wall.

Robin rolls her eyes. She'll never get Neil's attention back now. She doesn't quite understand all the relationships between the others and how they know each other, but she knows that Andrew and Neil are together. She wonders if the two of them think that they're being subtle.

* * *

Riko is sitting in one of the five star restaurants attached to his casinos, studying a tablet. His meal is in front of him, untouched. Andrew briefly wonders if Robin's robot theory is correct before sprawling himself into the chair across from Riko. He keeps his calm, radiating strength and confidence as he lounges comfortably. It's all a fabrication - he really wants nothing more than to lean across this table and snap Riko's neck, but he can be patient. He'd had patience drilled into him as a child, and the past two years have only strengthened the lesson.

Jean, sitting to Riko's left and taking notes on his own tablet, jumps in surprise. At least three guards start moving towards the table, finally having noticed him. Andrew hopes they aren't paid well. Riko waves them off and cocks his head.

"I was expecting you sooner," he says. "You've been out on parole for weeks now."

Andrew shrugs. "I had to go pick up my things." He watches Riko's eyes narrow in anger. He apparently doesn't like to be reminded that Andrew has been freely granted the loyalty of those he thinks he owns.

"I can't imagine that your parole officer would be happy to find you in Nevada."

"Nevada, New Jersey… they're so close together alphabetically, I got confused."

"I could give him a call," offers Riko.

"But then how will you find Kevin and Neil?" asks Andrew as innocently as possible. "You sent Drake after me to get me out of the way so that you could get at them, but you haven't been overly successful at that, have you?"

Riko's fist tightens. He really is terrible at hiding his emotions, his anger bright and obvious. "Listen to me-" he starts angrily.

"Look," says Andrew, cutting off what was sure to be a villainous monologue. "I'm giving you exactly one chance. Stay away from Kevin. Stay away from Neil. You will not like what happens otherwise." Andrew is lying, of course. Riko's downfall is already underway. Once everything is over, he wants Riko to think about this and wonder if he could have stopped him. The answer is no. Riko lost his only chance at survival when he sent Drake somewhere he could have encountered Aaron. There is nothing that will stop Andrew's wrath now.

It just seems more gentlemanly to pretend to be civil.

"Kevin and Nathaniel belong to me," says Riko viciously. "I really hope that you don't end up dying in an attempt to stop me… I'm going to enjoy sending you pictures of what I do to them."

"Remember this, Riko," says Andrew, standing. "Once everything is taken from you - when you've hit rock bottom - remember that I gave you a chance."

* * *

The fight tonight starts at 7:30 pm. At exactly 6:45 Allison meets with the chief of security and Riko. They examine the small case that she wants placed into the vault, checking for drugs or anything else they don't want custody of, but they only find large completely innocuous jewels. Well, completely innocuous except for the fact that Nicky made them and that they are capable of blowing through the vault door. But they have no way of knowing that. Riko offers her a verbal contract about taking temporary custody of her possessions and lets her into the security room to watch her case make the trip to the vault on the video feed.

The first thing she sees is Dan wheeling a cash cart that Allison knows contains no cash, only Renee; scrunched up uncomfortably and having a little over half an hour of oxygen. Dan pats her pockets, looking for her security pass that will let her down into the vault, but she can't find it (it doesn't exist). She starts breathing rapidly in a panic and her lower lip starts wobbling.

"I must have left it in my locker," she says. "I can't have lost it! Oh, no, Jimmy's going to kill me!"

The security guard seems uncomfortable. "Where is this money from and where's it going?" he asks.

"From the high roller tables," she says, her eyes glistening. "It's going to the main vault."

Just at that moment the casino worker carrying Allison's case walks by.

"Carolina," says the guard. "You're going down to the vault, right?"

"Yes," the woman answers.

"Can you take this cash down as well?"

The woman shrugs. "Sure." She places the case on top of the cart and then wheels them through the security doors after swiping her pass.

"There, there," says the guard to Dan, patting her shoulder. "Just be more careful in the future, all right?"

"Okay," says Dan, still a little teary eyed. "Thank you."

In the security room, Riko is antsy, continually checking his watch. He clearly wants to get to the fight; it's starting very soon. "Now that I am no longer needed, I'll leave," he says to Allison. "You're free to watch your case until it's in the vault and then someone will escort you out."

"Of course," says Allison, with a shark-like smile. "You must not be late to your little display of masculinity."

Riko clenches his jaw. "Good evening, Miss Rozanova."

Meanwhile, Matt is dragging a protesting Robin over to a pit boss. She's dressed like one of the performers from the nightly shows: scantily clad, covered in jewels and feathers. She's making a scene, yelling at Matt to get his hands off of her, that he has no right, that he's a liar.

"What's going on here?" demands the pit boss, annoyed at the scene that's they're making.

"I'm from the Nevada Gaming Commission," says Matt, showing his fake id. "This woman has been employed here under false pretenses."

The pit boss looks around, and licks his lips nervously. They are drawing a lot of attention. "Alright," he says. "I'll call security to come speak with you, but come with me off the floor." He leads them into the cages, into a small nondescript room. Matt sits and waits for security, but Robin paces the room angrily. The head security guard, who has just left Allison in the control centre, enters. "What is going on?" he asks.

"This woman has lied on her employment forms," says Matt, pointing at Robin. "She provided a false identity because she actually has a criminal record."

The guard's face turns to stone. "Who is she?"

"She's in the show," says Matt.

"I can see that," says the man derisively. "But who is she?"

"He's lying!" cries Robin. "This is a case of racism!"

Matt blinks twice in shock before he's able to respond. "I'm black," he says defensively.

"Doesn't mean you can't be a racist!" shouts Robin.

"I... not… how dare!" Matt sputters.

"Sexism, then," counters Robin. "You're targeting me because I'm a woman!"

"I'm 'targeting' you because you're a liar," says Matt, complete with air quotes, and Robin lunges for him. She pushes the security guard out of the way - conveniently lifting the paper from his inside pocket that has the daily security codes for the doors to the elevator - and tackles Matt. They roll around on the floor for a bit, Robin slipping the paper she stole into his pocket and Matt collecting the explosives disguised as jewellery that she's wearing on her costume.

The security guard reacts quickly, picking Robin off of Matt and hauling her across the room. She drops a burner cell phone into his suit pocket. "Calm down," says the man pushing her into a chair.

"She bit me!" cries Matt, examining his hand.

"Who is she?" the guard asks for a third time.

"Her name is Delilah Wright; she served time in Arkansas for fraud and theft," says Matt, pulling out a file from his briefcase. "She used a false identity, Anna Jones, to gain employment in your casino."

The security guard looks at the papers and nods briskly. He speaks into his radio to call more guards into the room in order to remove Robin from the building.

"Ms. Wright, your employment with us is terminated effective immediately. We will be looking in to your actions here. For now-" he gestures at the guards who have entered the room "-you will be escorted from the premises." He turns to his employees. "Search her and get her off the property."

The men nod and manhandle her out of the room, while Matt packs up his briefcase.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention," says the guard as he escorts Matt out of the room. They're about halfway back to the floor when Matt pats his pockets.

"Oh, shoot, my phone," he says.

The guard looks at his watch impatiently; he has to get back to his post. "Do you know the way out?" he asks, presumably relying on the security cameras and codes to keep Matt away from sensitive areas.

"Sure," says Matt. "Down here and to the right, yeah? Sorry about this."

The guard waves him off and he jogs down the hall back to the little room where the interview had been held.

He shrugs off his overcoat, then pulls out the paper Robin placed on him and memorizes the security codes. Now dressed like one of the casino's security guards, he walks purposefully the wrong way down the hall until he reaches the door leading to the elevator. Punching in the code, he calls the elevator and waits for his signal.

Allison sees the moment that Matt enters the elevator on one of the security cameras. She's wandered very close, distracting the guards monitoring the video feeds. At least two of them are not-so-subtly taking glances at her cleavage. She only has a couple moments to divert them before they notice that Matt is unable to get the elevator to move.

She plants the heel of her stiletto and twists her ankle slightly, hearing the slight snap as it detaches. She then tries to take a step forwards, but falls off the broken heel, falling across the two security guards closest to her. She screams and swears in Russian. In the commotion, no one notices as Aaron interferes with the feed of the elevator: playing an earlier loop so that Matt is no longer on the screen.

Allison is helped up and into a chair, just as her case and the cash cart carrying Renee make it into the vault.

"There you go, Miss Rozanova," says one of the guards, pointing at the security feed from the vault. "As you can see, your possessions are secure. Are you satisfied?"

" _Da_ ," says Allison, removing her broken shoe. "You will now take me to the elevator; I must return to my room. I will be suing the makers of these terrible shoes."

Matt has hoisted himself onto the roof of the elevator. He opens his briefcase, pulling out the false bottom and pocketing the detonator hidden inside. He takes out the tiny magnetic winch, which Dan had promised would hold his weight and shuffles down below the elevator. He sticks the winch to the bottom of the elevator, and clips the line to his belt securely. Then, holding his breath he swings out into the elevator shaft.

"Ready," he says to Aaron through his comm.

"Ready," says Allison from the elevator up to her room.

"Ready," says Robin from around the block where she's waiting for the next phase.

"Ready," says Dan from inside the van.

"Nicky, we're ready," says Aaron. "Blow it."

Nicky laughs gleefully and presses a detonator; all the power in Castle Evermore and the twenty surrounding blocks goes out.

Matt releases the winch and descends quickly to the bottom of the elevator shaft; he has less than a minute before the backup generators will come online. He pries open the doors at the bottom of the shaft and rolls out into the hallway just as the generators power up.

Aaron takes advantage of the confusion and begins looping earlier footage through the appropriate camera feeds: the vault and several select hallways and stairwells.

Renee cautiously opens the lid of her false cash cart and unfolds herself. She collects the fake jewels from Allison's case. Then, she stretches out - she's flexible, but it still wasn't pleasant being almost folded in half for an extended period of time - and then flips to the shelves near the wall. There's a bang on the vault door. She ignores it for now, and carefully places the explosives at the positions Nicky had demonstrated, before hitting her hand twice on the inside of the door to indicate that she's completed her task. She now has thirty seconds to flip back to the middle of the room.

Matt has also placed his explosives on the outside of the door. After Renee's signal he watches his watch tick away thirty seconds, then he gives her an extra twenty just to make sure she's safe before he presses the button on the detonator. There's a loud boom, and the door swings open.

Renee is sitting cross legged on the cash carts in the middle of the room, smiling serenely at him. "Hello, Matt," she says. "Shall we get started?"

Meanwhile, Riko has stormed into his main security room. There is chaos throughout the floors of all three of his casinos, people taking advantage of the power outage to try to steal money. His head of security, Chris Hawking, is talking quickly into his radio, directing his staff to limit the damage.

There's a song coming from inside Hawking's coat. He looks down in consternation. "That's not my ringtone," he says in confusion.

The song tugs on something in Riko's brain, but he can't figure out its significance. It's an old song about runaways. "Answer it," he commands.

"Hello?" says Hawking, picking up the call. His face twists in confusion, before he holds out the phone. "It's for you."

"Who is this?" Riko growls into the phone.

"Hey, asshole, it's Neil," says Nathaniel Wesninski's smug voice. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm in the process of robbing you."

* * *

Neil had always planned on becoming a thief. Born Nathaniel Wesninski to two professional criminals, it was in his blood. His father, Nathan, favoured flashier, more violent crime, while his mother, Mary Hatford, preferred cons and sleight-of-hand, much to his father's disgust. He used to say that her cruellest con had been convincing him to marry her. Neil had started learning sleight-of-hand at two, his chubby baby fingers slow and clumsy. He learned quickly not to practice where his father could see as he punished his failures harshly. Once he'd smacked Neil with a hot iron because he'd dropped the coin he'd been trying to make disappear.

Knife tricks had followed the beginner card tricks and coin tricks that his mother taught him. His father was adamant that his son be proficient with a knife - Neil had not liked those lessons as his father had demonstrated proper knife techniques using him as a canvas. Or a target, when he was teaching Neil how to throw knives.

When he was eight, his mother took him in the middle of the night and ran, which was both relieving and confusing for Neil.

They travelled from city to city, running cons to make ends meet. It wasn't until ten years later, as she was dying, that she explained why they had run. A job had gone wrong, she said. Tetsuji Moriyama, in an attempt to punish his older brother for his banishment, had come up with a plan to steal from the Moriyama family. He'd pulled in Kayleigh Day, Philippe Moreau, the Malcolm siblings, and Neil's parents to make up his crew, but it had gone wrong almost immediately. Kengo Moriyama had ended up dead and his sons, Ichirou and Riko, had sworn revenge. They promised a lifetime of servitude and torture to those that had wronged them.

They'd all fled; Mary Hatford had long ago ceased to care for her husband, so she left him to his own devices and fled with their son. Soon afterwards Nathan had been caught by Ichirou, along with the Malcolm siblings. They were forced into working for him, helping him track the others down. Both Kayleigh and Philippe had died when trying to evade them, and Tetsuji had taken his own life rather than submit to his nephews. When Mary died following an altercation with Nathan, it should have been over. But Riko had decided that children should pay for the sins of their parents.

Neil never understood that line of thinking. It used to be civilized: you'd hit a guy; he'd whack you; done. If someone wronged you, you went after them - not their children, not their friends, not their neighbours. For instance, Neil's uncle had killed Nathan and the Malcolms for killing his sister, saving Neil from them in the process.  

That had been years ago, shortly after he'd met Kevin and Andrew, but Neil felt that the precedent was set. Riko had wronged them by sending Drake after Andrew - so now they were going after Riko.

* * *

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm in the process of robbing you," Neil says into the phone, his mouth turning up into his father's knife-like smile. The cruel edge in his voice is audible. "I have people in your vault right now."

He hears muffled talking in the background, Riko commanding someone to pull up the vault security feed.

"I don't know what you think you're gaining from this lie," spits Riko into the phone, "but when I get my hands on you you're going to pay for it."

"You have eyes on your vault?" asks Neil, ignoring Riko's threats. "Keep watching." Aaron can hear Neil's side of the conversation through the comms and he replaces the current looped feed of the vault with a video of their own making; Dan, Matt, and Nicky, all dressed like ninjas in their replica vault; Dan and Matt joyfully in the process of collecting money into duffels while Nicky rigs everything with explosives.

"You have two options, Fuckface," continues Neil. "Either you try to stop us and we blow everything in the vault, or you let us go with half the money. The choice is yours."

"Listen to me, you child," starts Riko angrily.

"Ah, ah, ah," chides Neil. "Tick tock. You either lose all your money publicly or half privately. Let me know before I decide to blow everything for fun."

"You're going to die," growls Riko.

"Nobody lives forever, Riko," retorts Neil. "Not even rich casino owners who think they're untouchable. You have ten seconds. Your choice."

He can hear Riko grit his teeth, but it only takes him four seconds to answer. "Take the money," he snarls.

"Excellent choice," says Neil. Aaron sends a ping to his earpiece to let him know that Riko has placed a call to SWAT. "Here's what's going to happen. My men in the vault are going to load half the cash into the elevator. If the trip up to the main floor takes more than thirty seconds or there's any indication that anything's been tampered with, we'll blow everything. Your employees will carry the cash to the front of the casino; again, any detours or tampering will result in explosions. There will be a black van waiting out in front; place the bags in the back. If any of your security approaches the driver or the front of the van, you will be sorry. Once the money reaches its destination, you will let us go and control of your vault and the remainder of your money will be returned to you."

"Fine," says Riko shortly. "But you listen to me-" Neil leaves the phone on, abandoning it on the ground, letting Riko's threats dissipate into thin air.

He books it out to his rendezvous point, meeting up with Aaron and Allison. The three of them are picked up by a SWAT van; they climb into the back and put on the SWAT vests and helmets provided to them by Nicky.

Dan passes Aaron the laptop that she has been using to control the black van that Neil had instructed Riko to fill with the bags of money. Matt had rigged up a remote control system and Aaron had written a program to control it. Aaron's now responsible for driving the van away from the casino, leading Riko's security on a merry chase.

"Have fun antagonizing Riko?" Andrew asks Neil.

"Always," replies Neil. "He seemed angry for some reason."

"Alright everyone," says Dan as Kevin pulls the van pulls up in front of Castle Evermore, sirens blazing. "Let's go get our money!"

Aaron stays behind, but the rest of them move out, carrying bags of 'equipment'. They're met by the head of security.

"Our vault has been taken over by three armed hostiles," he says.

"Alright," says Dan, in drill sergeant mode. "We'll repel down the elevator shaft. Once we give you the signal, you're to cut power to the vault. We'll take out the infiltrators." She hands him a two-way radio for communication.

Andrew does not enjoy the feeling of weightlessness he experiences as he repels down the elevator shaft. "Should have stayed in the van," he mutters.

"And miss the look on Riko's face?" asks Neil incredulously. "Not for anything."

"Night vision on," says Dan, then, into the radio, "Prepare to cut the power."

They're plunged into darkness.

"Someone's here!" shouts Matt in a panic.

Dan responds by shooting blank rounds at him. The rest of them spread their bags around the room, swapping the ones they're carrying – full of fake money and small explosives – with the ones filled with real money that Matt and Renee packed. Allison tosses Renee and Matt SWAT vests and helmets.

"Blow the cash!" yells Matt once dressed. Nicky does, the duffels with the fake money exploding outwards.

"Turn on the lights!" cries Dan into the radio, as the rest of them take cover. "It's all blown," she says.

"I'm coming down there," says Riko's angry voice from the other end of the radio.

It only takes a few minutes, but Riko and his security are there, looking in dismay at the shreds of money. The radio at his security chief's belt crackles to life.

"Sir," says a voice on the other end. "We followed the van to an abandoned lot and shot out its tires."

"And?" says Riko, grabbing the radio.

"There's no driver, but there was an explosion anyway," responds the man.

"The money was destroyed?" asks Riko tightly.

"No, sir," replies the man. "There _was_ no money. All the bags were carrying fliers for a strip club."

As Neil predicted, Riko's face, full of impotent anger and frustration is a beautiful thing to behold.

"Sir," says Dan.

"Get out," says Riko, deathly quietly.

"But, sir," she presses.

"I said, GET OUT!" he shouts, picking up debris off the floor and hurling it at the wall.

"Move out," says Dan.

They pick up their bags full of money, get in the elevator, and leave the casino, each one of them tens of millions of dollars richer.

* * *

They meet Wymack at a warehouse just off of the strip. He looks at them in disbelief as they tumble out of the back of the van, SWAT vests discarded. He chuckles and shakes his head in awe. Everyone is silent in wonder as they divide up the money, packing it up into eleven equal shares for laundering.

Andrew checks the time. "Come on," he says quietly to Neil and Kevin.

"Where are you going?" asks Matt as they start to move away. "We're going out to celebrate!"

"Just one last thing," says Neil. "But you guys knock yourselves out. We'll catch up with you in a bit."

It's not far, the boarded up building where Jean is supposed to meet them. Kevin's anxiety ratchets up the closer they get and it's affecting both Andrew the Neil. If Jean isn't there…

But he is. He's sitting primly on an old table, with a pile of incriminating documents beside him. Kevin lets out a half-sob-half-laugh and rushes forwards. "You made it."

"Yes," said Jean. "Your distraction was noticeable."

"Did you get everything?" asks Andrew. Jean holds up the documents and Andrew steps forwards to take them. A quick flip through them shows them to be exactly what he expected: documents that can potentially ruin Ichirou Moriyama, carefully collected by his brother.

"Did you get your contract?" Kevin asks, hope bleeding into his voice.

Jean holds up another thick document that proudly displays his signature, signing him into a life of servitude in exchange for Riko's 'leniency'. Neil tosses him a lighter.

Neil then turns to Andrew and tries to take the documents. "I'll take these to Higgins, then," he says.

Andrew shakes his head and holds on to the papers more tightly.

Neil raises an eyebrow. "He's an honest cop, Andrew, that's we chose him and Browning," says Neil. "You're in violation of your parole; he's not going to let you leave the station once you're there."

"What did I promise you?" asks Andrew.

"Many things over many years," says Neil. "Including that you wouldn't leave me."

"When Riko started his crusade to get you, what did I promise?"

"That you'd destroy him before he could touch me," says Neil. "That'd we'd take him down together and be free and clear."

Andrew nods. "Free and clear," he says. "Which means no outstanding arrest warrants."

"You're going to go back?" asks Neil.

"Not for long," says Andrew, stepping away because the longer he stays the harder it will be to leave. "I'll see you in three to six months."

* * *

Four months later, Andrew steps out of the prison gates and breaths fresh, New Jersey air. At least it's warm this time. He surveys the parking lot and a figure he would know anywhere catches his eye.

Neil is lounging on the hood of a black Maserati, wearing jeans that hug his ass and make his legs look like they go on for miles, and a sheer white t-shirt that Andrew can practically see through. He's not sure what he's more attracted to: Neil, or the car, or maybe both together. He wonders if Neil will let him fuck him across the hood of the car once they're alone.

Andrew saunters to stand in front of the car, and Neil sits up a little, sliding down the hood and spreading his thighs to let Andrew stand between them. He wraps his arms around Andrew's neck and tips his head forward slightly so he can make eye contact over the top of his aviator sunglasses. "Hi honey!" he says brightly. "I got us a car."

"I see that," replies Andrew, running his hands up the sides of Neil's legs until they rest on his hips. He pulls Neil flush against him. "Where did you steal it from?"

Neil gasps in false affront. "Stealing!? Why I never!" he says. "I'm rich now, I can buy things. Maybe I'll be your sugar daddy."

"I'm also rich," says Andrew. "Doesn't mean I wouldn't steal a car."

Neil laughs and leans up to kiss him.

Andrew breaks it off before long - they are in public and neither of them are big fans of PDA - and peers into the car. "Where's Kevin?" he asks. "I hope you didn't leave him sitting in the hot car in the sun. You know that's bad for pets."

"He's not here," says Neil. Andrew blinks in surprise because Kevin has never liked to be alone; for as long as Andrew's known him he's been somewhere in the vicinity of either Neil or himself. "He has _Jean_ now," explains Neil, teasing out the vowels in Jean's name. "They're inseparable and gross. Always whispering sweet nothings to each other, acting like I don't understand their filthy talk as long as it's in French." He shrugs. "I sent them on a trip. Said I didn't want to see either of them for two months. I think they went to Australia."

Andrew nods. Two months alone with Neil sounds just about perfect. "What about everyone else?" he asks. He hasn't received any news since he was arrested for violating the terms of his parole.

"Weeellll," says Neil slowly, "Aaron's getting married in a couple months and he wants you to be his best man, Robin's back in Seattle finishing up her degree, Renee took off on some kind of charity trip around the world, Dan and Matt went back to Utah like the weirdos they are. Last I heard Allison was in Ibiza, Wymack and Betsy and Abby are still in Vegas, and Nicky's in Germany."

"Why is Nicky in Germany?" asks Andrew. His cousin had never shown an interest in leaving the country before.

"His husband lives there," says Neil.

"His what."

"Oh, didn't you hear?" says Neil with evident glee. "Your cousin got hitched."

"When?"

"Well, when you turned all our evidence and yourself in at the police station, everyone else was out celebrating. One thing led to another and, after a lot of alcohol, Nicky ended up marrying a German tourist."

"Who is this guy?"

"No one special," soothes Neil. "Don't worry, I did a background check on him. He's just a guy, who has a regular 9-5 job and is built like a tank. He loves the outdoors and Nicky. And he says it's _because_ of Nicky's personality, not _despite_ it."

"Huh," says Andrew. "I guess stranger things have happened."

"Nicky's been in screechy happy mode since they met," says Neil. "You're lucky you missed it up until now."

"He's in Germany," Andrew points out.

"Doesn't stop him from sharing his joy," replies Neil dryly.

"Hmm," says Andrew, squeezing Neil's hips. "And on the Moriyama front?"

Neil smiles slowly. "The weirdest thing happened," he says. "Shortly after Ichirou learned about the investigation that the FBI opened against him, Riko mysteriously committed suicide."

"Strange, that."

"Yup," says Neil happily. "And Ichirou's floundering, trying to buy his way out of his problems, but the evidence is too concrete. He's currently in custody awaiting trial."

"Poor Ichirou," says Andrew.

"I'm really sad for him," says Neil, grinning.

Andrew can't help himself; he leans in to kiss Neil's smile. "Okay," he says, pulling back. "As much fun as it is hanging out in a New Jersey prison parking lot, it's time to go."

Neil laughs and slides off the car, digging the keys out of his pocket and tossing them to Andrew. Andrew gets in the driver's seat, adjusting it for his height. Neil has thoughtfully left a pair of sunglasses hanging from the sun visor for him. He slides them on his face and turns the car on, revving the engine. He closes his eyes and listens to the rumble.

"Where to?" Neil asks.

Andrew turns to look at him and lets his lips curl upwards. "Wherever we want," he says and peels out of the parking lot.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment to let us know what you think!
> 
> We can be found on tumblr [@gluupor](http://gluupor.tumblr.com) and [@c-dragon-art](http://c-dragon-art.tumblr.com).
> 
> If you like the artwork, you can [reblog it on tumblr](https://c-dragon-art.tumblr.com/post/177239618991/so-happy-to-finally-post-this-art-i-did-for).


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